Pinafore Bag- Strawbery Fields Edition

Friday night...I stayed up late and sewed this cute bag.  It is called Pinafore Bag by Me and My Sister.  I used Strawberry Fields.  I know some of you are scratching your heads....saying, I thought she used the last of her SF?  Well, what I said was I used the last of my charms.  I still have some yardage.  LOL.  I told you, I am a fabric hoarder.  I liked the darts int his bag, I liked the recommended quilting (notice the triple stripes of quilting), I liked the original pocket idea, and I really like the size...quite large for big bag queens like myself.  The turning of the handles, I am not going to lie to you gals....big pain.  I am hoping it is like the pain of labor and you forget it after awhile because I have the fabric to make myself one of these and I would like to.

This is a birthday present present so mums the word if you see my mom.  She doesn't hardly ever get  on here, so I figure I am safe to share it.  I hope the bag isn't too big for her.  It is pretty big. 

All Framed Up Baby Quilt

I finished this baby quilt over the weekend.  I have been working on this project on and off for a while now.  I wanted to wait until I was confident about the baby's name, as I have run into a baby name change before.  Nothing worse than having something personalized when it isn't right. 

Fabric:  Ruby
Pattern:  All Framed Up, which can be found at the Moda Bake Shop

I also made these coordinating burp clothes. I was very happy with how everything came out.

Out of curiousity, I have had some requests at work for some baby quilts, which I haven't agreed to.  I keep very busy with my own projects.  However, I was curious...how much would you charge for a baby quilt like this?  2 charm packs, 1 y kona, binding, yard and quarter backing, embroidered. 

Pack and Go Bag

I used Sweetwater's Pack and Go pattern to make this bag.  The pattern was easy, but it was not lined and it had unfinished seams, which I didn't know when I bought it.  Well, I added a lining, but the seams were still unfinished.  I think I have thought of a way to fix that next time.  I am not a fan of unfinished seams.  Of course, the zipper is wonky and backwards....it was not going so well in the sewing room last night.  Next time, it will be better,  I do love the size of it. 

Early Bird Drawing

About time that I wrap up this swap, right?  I was amazed that I had so many people ship early this time.  I love it.  Great job.  I used a number generator for the 25 people that shipped early and here are the winners....


Narelle

Wendy



















I will get those packages out to you, soon!

The Birthday Girl

So Buddy was invited to a birthday party for a little girl in his class.  I asked him if he and his friend who were invitied played with the little girl and her friends at recess.  He said, "Yes, we play dogs."  I'm not sure what that means.  When I asked, he rolled his eyes.  I didn't realize that parents could be so clueless to a 7 year old, but apparently, we are.  Anyway, this little girl likes Squinkies.  So, we bought her some squinkies and then I made a little birthday pouch to hold them in using some of my scraps.  I used this tutorial....

The bags that were sent to me

I did enjoy the swap, as well.  It is always great when someone sends you something spectacular in the mail, right???  I think I will definitely do this particular swap theme again sometime.  I really did enjoy seeing all the bags people came up with. 

I was lucky enough to have 2 partners this time, that is just how it worked out.  I needed 1 more person, and I thought it would just be easy to do it myself. 

LeAnn sent me this really cute bag in Bliss.  She also sent me a tasty treat and a cute notepad (did you know I am a sucker for notepads?  Yup, notepads, bags, boots, chapstick, travel mugs, little scissors....the list could go on and on.)  Sorry, I forgot to snap a shot of those (actually the candy bar was long gone....lol).  :)  But it was the perfect swap package, you will have to trust me.  I love the Ruby fabrics she used.  I love the color grey and of course, red is one of my favorites too.  My mom was here when I opened it and I remember saying to her, isn't this bag "so me"?  And, she agreed. 

Melinda sent me this cute laminate bag, which I was also quite tickled with.  I haven't worked much with laminated fabrics and I thought this was particularly cute.  It also has the snappy top, a pattern I have always wanted to try....but never have.  And, you can see she sent quite a few extra goodies, too.  Notice the scissors?  Did I already mention I am a sucker for cute little scissors??

Well, just writing about all this swap goodness makes me itch for another swap.  MAYBE it will be sooner than I think.  I have to get caught up on a few other projects around here first.

A bag for a friend...

I know, you've been wondering if I drowned in a pile of UFOs or scraps in my sewing room.  Nah, life has just been busy (I know you can relate).  Although, the state that my sewing room is in...I could have easily have fallen down and never been found again.  That is a project for another day.  Sometimes, when life gets like this....it does cross my mind to maybe stop blogging.  But, then I think about all my kind friends who always seem to be there when I get back at it.  I really do enjoy it.  And then I get a sweet comment like this...."I adore these darling bags. I guess I'm afraid of zippers, but you've inspired me to take the plunge and try one. Love your blog, visit daily." from a blogger, Dianne, who I have never heard from before...and that just makes my day.  I always see all the "hits" my blog gets and I always wonder who is stopping by for a visit.  I love hearing from you!  I also have been in "lurker" mode lately myself, so I get it.  Sometimes you just want to see what is going on.  I often have people leave me nice comments, but in their blogger profile, they have it set up on No Reply....so I cannot answer  your question or just say hi myself or if I am having a giveaway, I can't contact the winner.  Just something to keep in mind.

Well, the swap wrapped up.  I still need to do the drawing for the prizes.  I was very pleased with all the bags I saw.  If anyone had a less than good experience, I would hope that you would email me in private with your concerns so that I can make some adjustments next time.  All bags have been shipped.  All but 1 were on time, which is a fantastic statistic.  And, I did read all of your comments and suggestions on the last post.  Seems many of you are eager to get going on another swap.  We will have another....I just need a bit to catch my breath. 

Well, last Sunday I had to give myself a good kick in the pants to get a gift done for my girlfriend.  I needed it done by Monday.  Nothing like waiting to the last moment, right?  I had started it the week before, but wasn't happy with my fabric choices.  I made her this bag, which is actually the Libby Bag by Clover and Violet, but I opted to put a magnetic snap inside it and skip the binding and the flap.  Maybe next time.  This pattern did have a little typo, but I caught it.  It called for you to sew 7 rows of charms, when you actually needed 8.  Nothing big, just something to note if you intend to make one yourself.  The picture diagram showed 8.  I also think I did my own thing on the handles.  But, that is typical me. 

This bag is a great size.  I love big bags, and this has lots of room for a teacher to put folders in it, and it has great, great pockets, for Ipads or Nooks.  I'd darn near call it perfect, really.  I used the last of my Strawberry Fields charms on it.  A sad day!  LOL.  My friend loved it, so it was worth the stash sacrifice.  My apologies for the winter pictures.  I would love for the sun to come out again.

SWAP update- attention all swappers

Might I just say, you ladies are mighty impressive.  I have never had so many early birds before.  I thank you and I know your partners thank you as well.  And, I am seeing some really cute bags on FLICKR.  If you haven't had a chance to post, please do! 

Yesterday was our EARLY BIRD DRAWING deadline.  I haven't heard from a few of you listed below.  If you did ship, please let me know via comments or an email.  I'm sure a couple of you did ship, and just forgot to let me know.  I know some of you were very close to being done.  I don't want to exclude anyone from the drawing. 

Melinda F
Melinda C
Liz B
Carla F

While the date for the drawing was yesterday, you do have until this Saturday (Feb 11th) to ship and "officially" be on time.  I suspect that this will be the case.  I do hope everyone is on time because I would hate to have to exclude you from any future swaps.  No one likes having packages arrive late, myself included.  Please don't put me in the position to be the meany.


I think I will be drawing 2 names, and each winner will receive one of the bags in my my SWAP bling picture and a bag pattern I bought.  I am thinking of trying to round up a sponser for the next SWAP.  Feel free to throw me ideas on that topic.

One last note, Sharon created a darling tutorial for her bag and you can find it here.